The Detroit Pistons took Ron Holland II with the No. 5 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but just six picks later, the Chicago Bulls took Matas Buzelis. Though he went 11th, Buzelis had some early-first-round buzz, with some mocks even projecting the Pistons to take him at five. And based on the way Buzelis has been playing, maybe they should have.
Holland hasn’t been bad, by any means. He’s an impressive defender, a great hustle guy, and the city has grown very fond of him. He fits the culture of the team well. But so far this season, Buzelis has begun to break out into a star, and the Pistons could use what he brings to the table.
He may have been the smarter selection.
Pistons took Ron Holland II over Matas Buzelis
As mentioned, Holland has been solid. He’s given the Pistons solid minutes through the first two years of his NBA career. But at times, it feels as though the Pistons could use more out of him.
So far this season, Holland has appeared in 13 games, earning four starts and playing 23.8 minutes per contest. He has averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 steals.
Unfortunately, much like it was the case during his rookie campaign, Holland has struggled with efficiency. In fact, through his first 13 games, Holland’s efficiency has gotten worse compared to his rookie year.
Holland is shooting just 38.6% from the field and 29.8% from deep on 3.5 three-point attempts per game. Coming into the league, offense was always predicted to be a work in progress for Holland, and that has remained true.
As for Buzelis, he’s started to come into his own this year for the Bulls, who got off to one of the hottest starts of the season (before going on a five-game losing streak).
Buzelis has appeared in 12 games for Chicago this year, starting all of them and playing 29.1 minutes per contest. He has averaged 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks.
Plus, Buzelis has been an extremely efficient scorer this season. He has shot 48.5% from the field and 40.0% from deep range on 4.6 three-point attempts per game.
Obviously, the Pistons are doing just fine with Holland. They don’t need Buzelis right now. But having the extra scoring (with the length he brings to the defensive end) would be nice.
And if Buzelis and Holland both continue on their current trajectories, the Pistons may end up regretting the selection.